The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Rudd 'no friend to NT', says Giles

The federal Labor government has been no friend to the Northern Territory, says Chief Minister Adam Giles.

Mr Giles has welcomed an early September election date, criticising Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's "erratic leadership" which he says has failed to deliver vital road improvements or fair education funding for NT schools.

"While he's neglected the territory ... Labor has no plan to manage the nation's economy, and will surely hit families and businesses with more taxes after the election," Mr Giles said in a statement on Sunday.

There are about 3000 asylum seekers being held in detention in Darwin, which Mr Giles said showed Labor had lost control of Australia's borders.

Other key issues for the NT are schools funding and the coalition's Northern Australian development plan.

Mr Giles refused to sign up to the Gonski education reforms before the election, and this week he backed a coalition plan which he said would cost the Territory nothing and allow it to spend money independently.

He called for Territorians to vote out the ALP's "tired" incumbent Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, who "has failed to bring prosperity to our remote communities".

Related Articles

Mr Snowdon holds his seat by a margin of 3.7 per cent, and will probably be a casualty of the NT's rising discontent with federal Labor.

His enormous seat of Lingiari covers 99.8 per cent of the Territory, along with Christmas and the Cocos (Keeling) islands, with a 40 per cent indigenous population.

He is being challenged by the CLP's Tina MacFarlane, a cattle station owner.

The urban Darwin and Palmerston seat of Solomon is the only other seat in the NT and is expected to remain with Natasha Griggs of the CLP.

The two NT senate seats are up for re-election this year, and are equally divided between the CLP and Labor.

Trish Crossin was dumped by former prime minister Julia Gillard earlier this year when she parachuted in former Olympian Nova Peris - who wasn't a member of the ALP when her pre-selection was announced.

Despite wide dissatisfaction over the ousting of Ms Crossin and what's seen as a paternalistic meddling in territory politics, Ms Peris will most likely keep the seat for Labor.

The second senate seat is held by Nigel Scullion of the CLP, who will also most likely keep it.